Paul Ryburn's Journal

And so this is Christmas… and what have we done… another year over (thankfully)…

Did you know Cordelia’s Market has a wine & cheese club? Members get monthly boxes of 4 to 5 items, perfectly matched, curated by Cordelia’s staff. The monthly selection always includes wine, cheese, and crackers, as well as 1 to 2 seasonal items. It’s $40 a month to sign up, with a 3-month minimum. Boxes are available for pickup or delivery (38103 delivery only) the first Thursday of the month, which would make January 7 the day for the next one. They can work with you on dietary restrictions. Sign up here

B.B. King’s has decided the health department’s stupid 25% capacity restriction on restaurants is not worth the bother. They will temporarily close their doors following Sunday, December 27, their last night of operation.

Kooky Canuck will be closed today and tomorrow (25th and 26th) for the holidays.

The Nine Thai & Sushi is taking a holiday break and will return for curbside pickup on January 5.

Cocozza Italian-American Kitchen inside the Majestic Grille is also taking some time off and will reopen January 5.

Forbes: Memphis maps out its coronavirus comeback. Kevin Kane, president of Memphis Tourism, was interviewed for the story, as is Dean Dennis, senior VP of the Renasant Convention Center, and Malvin Gipson, VP of Sales, Sports, and Tourism from Memphis Tourism.

Hooters will have a $1 off burger special Tuesday, December 29.

The Daily Memphian has a look at the problems a ninth-grader at Hamilton High faces as he tries to do his assignments online, on a school-issued laptop that sometimes does not work.

A man has been charged with breaking into 8 cars in the 200 block of G.E. Patterson.

Great news for Memphis Tigers football: Arizona Wildcats sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell is transferring to Memphis. He’s the leading passer in Texas high school history, and should be able to step into Brady White’s shoes quite nicely.

The Grizzlies don’t play on the NBA’s Christmas slate of games, but you might get a peek at a couple of former Tigers today:

• New Orleans at Miami (and Precious Achiuwa), 11 AM, ESPN
• Golden State (and James Wiseman) vs. Milwaukee, 1:30 PM, ABC

Draymond Green, who plays center when Golden State uses small-ball lineups, will be out with an injury, increasing the chance that Big Ticket will see some time on the floor.

I read a very interesting article on Medium yesterday. It was written by a creative writing teacher who took a job this year as a COVID contact tracer. When he was a teacher, he advised his students to cut back on the amount of prescriptive language – words like “should,” “must,” and “need” in their writing. Prescriptive language communicates that the speaker/writer’s advice is right and the reader/listener is wrong if they do not comply. He found that the more he avoided prescriptive language, the more successful he was as a contact tracer. What I’ve Learned from Being a Contact Tracer is behind Medium’s paywall, but you get to read a few free stories a month.

Personal announcement: I’m taking a break from going out for the next four weeks. It’s not so much the Safer at Home order as it is that I really need to focus on my professional writing career on Medium for a while. I tried to do that after Thanksgiving, setting a goal to write 92 stories on Medium in the 92 days between the Thanksgiving weekend and March 1. However, the death of a friend and the uncertainty about whether the health department would close my friends’ businesses interrupted that plan. Now that the uncertainty has been removed, I’m going to try again.

So, if you don’t see me out between now and late January, don’t worry about me. I’m in a good place. This blog will continue to operate as normal.

To those who work in my favorite places to go: Don’t pop a PBR the minute I walk through the door in the coming weeks. I’m probably there to order take-out.

That’ll do it. Christmas is typically the slowest news day of the year, so I’m not sure I will have anything to post tomorrow. Then again, I didn’t think I’d have anything to post today, and look what happened. I’ll be back when there’s news to report.

Let’s start off with a list of what restaurants are open today and tomorrow.

Bardog Tavern 8 AM-10 PM Christmas Eve, 5 PM-10 PM Christmas Day

Blind Bear 10 AM-10 PM Christmas Eve, 3 PM-10 PM Christmas Day

Blue Monkey 11 AM-5 PM Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

Flying Saucer 11 AM-8 PM Christmas Eve, 4-10 PM Christmas Day

Green Beetle closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Huey’s 11 AM-8 PM Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

Local closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (but the Midtown location will be open)

Max’s Sports Bar closed Christmas Eve, open 4 PM-10 PM Christmas Day

Momma’s 6:30 AM-4 PM Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

Silly Goose 12 PM-10 PM Christmas Eve, 12 PM-10 PM Christmas Day

Wiseacre2 11 AM-4 PM Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day

I’m sure any of the restaurants listed above would be happy to sell you a gift card for a last-minute Christmas gift, or as a way to treat yourself next year once the pandemic is a little closer to winding up.

Also, one more reminder:

Don’t forget: we are OPEN tomorrow, Christmas Eve! Come get your last minute holiday gifts for your loved ones, or just for yourself! 😉 See you bright and early at 10am! 24 South Main 😷🎄🎁❤️ #shoplocal this #holidayseason! #downtownmemphis #happyholidays pic.twitter.com/GBmn3mir5n

— The Peanut Shoppe (@mempeanutshoppe) December 24, 2020

Y’all, the lack of tourist foot traffic and Downtown office employee foot traffic has really hurt the Peanut Shoppe’s business this year. If you have any need for Christmas chocolate, nuts, or candy, please get by there and see them today.

And now, a few announcements local restaurants posted to Facebook recently.

Blind Bear:

Hey cubbies so we’re not totally going into hibernation with the new directive but we are limited to 25% capacity. So you can still come try our new sandwiches, soups or one of your all time favorites. But if you don’t wanna risk the crowds we’re offering our Hungover Like A Bear Brunch Box or our Hibernation Helper Meals, which includes our house made Lasagna, that feeds 4-6 with Salad and Garlic Bread. So either way we have the Bear essentials you need during this Difficult time.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies:

Still looking for stocking stuffers? Of course you are, and we’ve got you covered.

For our annual stocking-stuffer sale, we’re offering 20% off all gift card purchases (min. $25) thru 12/31/20. This means $25 gift cards for $20, $50 gift cards for $40, and so on & so forth! Come in today to get yours.

Carolina Watershed:

Hey Memphis we’re back open 2pm till 10pm with limited menu options with the full menu coming soon! We have a new fully enclosed heated patio to keep you warm on cold nights! We also have fire pits ready if you want to sit outside and enjoy the waterfalls! House wine specials all week $3.00 house red and white! We’re offering the entire Cutwater canned cocktail line too! #cutwater #watershed #chasingwaterfalls #winelover #tuesdayfunday #datenight #tipsytuesday #memphisbar #saveourrestaurants #socialdistancing #maskup

Public service announcement: If you go out to these restaurants, please think twice about taking photos of you and your buddies who don’t live in the same household, not socially distanced and without masks, and posting them to social media. The goody-goody preachy-preachy Facebook/Instagram “health experts” who think we should lock down until June see these and forward them to the health department.

Mayor Strickland: “I probably would have handled restaurants a bit differently” in the most recent health directive. Strickland thinks the overall intent of Health Directive 16 is correct, but he would have kept restaurants at 50%. Thank you, Mr. Mayor!

In-person court appearances have been suspended through the end of January.

The Memphis Tigers football team got a win in the Montgomery Bowl yesterday, topping FAU 25-10.

The Grizzlies lost their season opener to the San Antonio Spurs, but Ja Morant had a career-high 44 points. Remember about 10 years ago, when Steph Curry was the hot new point-guard in the NBA, and there was that commercial with Chris Paul riding down the escalator and encountering Curry on the way up? Ja appears to be on the way up that escalator now.

Ja has his own mural now, on the side of Slim & Husky’s in The Edge District. Must be nice to be only 21 and already have a mural and a ‘raffe.

Ja stole a record last night: He surpassed Shaq to become the youngest player to score 40 or more points on a team’s opening night.

Downtown’s Slave Haven Underground Museum has announced a temporary closure due to COVID-19. Also closed until further notice is the W.C. Handy Home at Fourth and Beale.

A rogue road sign, installed by an artist on the 800 block of North Parkway and taken down by the city, has found a permanent home at the Metal Museum. The sign was one of about a dozen installed by the artist in cities across the country. It reads, “When you were still young / Did you ever dream about / Being who you are”

If there’s any news tomorrow, I’ll be back with it. Otherwise, Merry Christmas and I’ll see you Saturday.

Let’s get the Downtown news done and then we’ll dive into the recap of yesterday’s COVID-19 press conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies are in San Antonio to tip off the regular season tonight against the Spurs at 7. Catch it on Fox Sports Southeast or ESPN 92.9.

One Beale developer Chase Carlisle announced that 9-story Hyatt Centric will offer “unparalleled” river views despite being next to the much taller Grand Hyatt.

Check out Chris Herrington’s Early Word column in yesterday’s Daily Memphian if you haven’t already, because if you’re a long-time Downtowner, there’s a face in there that will probably be familiar…

LUTHER!!!

78-year-old carved wood artist Luther Hampton was one of the first people I met when I moved Downtown. His work is not well-known outside of Downtown, but that is about to change. His art is about to be featured at the Brooks, as well as the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Tennessee State Museum. Congratulations to Luther on some well-earned recognition. To see his work locally, visit Tops Gallery at 400 S. Front.

Edible Memphis reported yesterday that you can now order The Brunch Box from Chef Tam’s website. Chef Tam, owner of Chef Tam’s Underground Kitchen out in The Edge District, offers Shrimp & Gtits Brunch Boxes, as well as Brunch Boxes featuring Chicken & Waffles, Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, or vegan brunch food. The boxes can be bought in servings for 1, 2, or 4.

From Nextdoor: Someone stole the wheels off a Corvette in broad daylight this week on Tennessee Street.

Happy Festivus! CNN has 5 steps to making the most of this holiday.

Memphis Tourism president Kevin Kane shared his experiences with a bad bout of COVID-19 last summer.

All right, people. I subjected myself to 51 minutes of this crap early this morning. Let’s do this…

12/22 COVID-19 task force press conference recap

Dr. Haushalter, Health Department director, started off with some statistics for Shelby County.

• The COVID-19 replication rate is 1.03. That’s a little better than previously, but we really need to get it below 1 to stop exponential growth of the virus.
• The positivity rate has been above 12% the next week. We need to shoot for a rate below 10%, and then below 5%.
• The 7-day rolling average of new cases is 786/day, well above all the tripwires
• The 14-day rolling average is 754/day, above all the tripwires
• These numbers predict a total of 16,986 cases over the next month

Dr. Manoj Jain, infectious disease advisor for Mayor Jimbo from Mempho, was next up with some projections.

The worst-case scenario, where we do little to nothing to prevent COVID and therefore see a rise in cases similar to North Dakota in October, one of the worst known outbreaks, predicts for the next 2 months for Shelby County:

• 986 deaths
• Average of 16 deaths/day

The middle-of-the-road scenario sees us staying the course with the preventative measures we have now, resulting in the following for the next 2 months:

• 659 deaths
• Average 11 deaths/day
• 327 lives saved

If we really all work together to bend the curve downward, as we did in Shelby County back in August, we could expect

• 439 deaths
• Average 7 deaths day
• 547 lives saved

What tactics would be used to bend the curve down? Dr. Jain cited the CDC recommendations:

• Mandatory masking
• Increased restrictions
• Required closures

Dr. Bruce Randolph said “Greetings, fellow citizens of Shelby County” and then encouraged them to go to shelby.community and get their own copy of Health Directive 16 to read. He summarized the directive:

• Encourages people as much as possible to stay home. Spend the holidays with your immediate family. Try not to gather with other households or in crowds.
• Retail 50%
• Indoor dining 25%. it is the Health Departments’s opinion that on-site dining is a high-risk activity; however, if you choose to do so, do so safely by wearing a mask until the food is at your table
• Gyms 50%
• Asking that social activities related to entertainment and recreation be curtailed, especially receptions and parties
• Encourages employers, if possible, have employees work remotely
• Curbside service, takeout, delivery encouraged to continue
• Some businesses are allowed to open, but with special requirements. That’s why he encourages each citizen to get a copy of the health directive.

Next up was Reginald Coopwood, CEO of Regional One Health, and his wife Erica Coopwood. Over the weekend they brainstormed what they can do to help people who will be furloughed or have their hours cut by Safer at Home. As a result, they created Pay It Forward Mid-South, a fund set up to disburse money to those workers. Lead-off gifts of $100,000 have been made, and leading Memphis corporations are being asked to step up. Mayor Harris has made a challenge that when the fund hits $750,000, the county will kick in at least another $50,000.

Question time! Dr. H said that Shelby County is on track to receive its first doses of the vaccine this week, and they will be distributed to first responders, those classified 1-A-1 (as opposed to A1A, a highway in Florida that Vanilla Ice rapped about), beginning Monday.

Dr. H was asked why the Safer at Home order did not go into effect until several days after it was issued. She said it was to give affected businesses time to adjust. In particular, restaurants need time to plan their inventory. She noted that in the past, restaurants have had a 2-3 day warning that a new directive was to be put in place.

A question was asked about two businesses that violated rules by having patrons meet in one secret location and then proceed to a second one. Dr. H said both businesses were closed. They were not fined, because at the time the Health Department did not have authority to do that (they now do).

The Tennessee Medical Reserve was again mentioned as a way you can volunteer to serve your community in the middle of a pandemic.

Jacob Steimer of the Memphis Business Journal asked about a “particularly skeptical” difference between the draft Health Directive 16 that was leaked over the weekend and the one that came out Monday. Okay, before I get to the answer – WHO IS THIS GUY? This is like the third press conference in a row when he’s asked a question smacking of, “Why don’t we just go ahead and shut everything down now?” For someone who works for a business publication, his questions sure seem anti-business.

Dr. H answered by describing the process of meeting with different groups, including doctors on the task force and public officials at different times, to craft a final document. The document that was leaked was a draft and was never intended to be seen as a final document – she called it a “straw man” put forward for feedback.

Dr. H was then asked why the health department sees restaurants as a source of transmission. She said a big problem is that people continue to live their normal lives 1 to 3 or even 4 days after becoming symptomatic. They continue to go to work, they continue to socialize, and they continue to go to restaurants. She also said it’s incorrect to compare a small restaurant to a big-box store. The air flow is different, and in big-box stores you’re not 6 feet away from the same person or people for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Whew… that’s it for today. Back tomorrow if there’s any news to report. There won’t be a COVID press conference Thursday, which is good because I don’t think I could handle another one of those this week.

Health Directive No. 16 for Shelby County dropped at about 4 PM yesterday. Here are the main points.

• Effective dates are Saturday, December 26-Friday, January 22 (so 4 weeks, or 2 COVID incubation periods)
• Residents are encouraged to shelter at home as much as possible during this period
• Only essential businesses are allowed to stay open – but the list of essential businesses is so long that it’s hard to think of what would qualify as a nonessential business
• Employers are asked to keep non-essential employees home and implement telecommuting where possible
• Restaurants can keep indoor dining at 25% capacity. Foodservice is limited to 90 minutes (down from 2 hours) and no more than 6 people from the same household at a table (they got rid of the stupid 4 adults, 2 kids thing)
• Retail at 50% capacity
• Gyms at 50% capacity (including staff) and masks must be worn at all times
• Personal care businesses (barbershops, nail salons, etc.) may operate by appointment only

Meh. I guess it was the least bad option on a buffet of bad options.

Suburban mayors were caught off guard by the new health directive. Discussions within the COVID task force were for restrictions lasting two weeks, and Arlington mayor Mike Wissman said the additional two weeks were never discussed.

The Shelby County Commission gave inspectors a new tool in enforcing COVID rules yesterday: By a 9-4 vote, they can now fine businesses $50 per violation. So, let’s say inspectors walk into a restaurant and find 6  customers standing at the bar, unmasked. The individuals would not face a fine, but the restaurant could be fined $300. It gives the health department an intermediate option between giving a business a warning and shutting it completely down when violations are found.

In typical Vols fashion, the University of Tennessee had to pull out of the Liberty Bowl because too many players and staff have COVID. Army will be UT’s replacement, and that is a serious upgrade. The Black Knights will take on the Mountaineers of good ole West Virginny the afternoon of the 31st.

The Memphis Air Traffic Control Center has reopened after a COVID-related cleaning. Surrounding facilities provided support during the time the center was cleaned.

Penny Hardaway scored a 5-year, $12.25 million contract extension yesterday. His team lost to Tulsa last night though.

That’s the news for this morning. I’m not sure I will get a chance to listen to the noon COVID task force press conference, but if I do and anything important comes up, I’ll be back with a recap this afternoon.

Today is going to be a crazy day.

No, let me rephrase that. Today already IS a crazy day… as of five minutes into the day, when six or seven loud gunshots were fired near Main and Monroe. Who else heard ’em?

Keep an eye on the Shelby County Health Department’s health directive page, as Health Directive No. 16 and Face Mask Order No. 4 are expected to drop this morning. A draft of the directive that was posted to social media indicated it would go into effect 12:01 AM today, four minutes before I heard the gunshots. I seriously doubt they will retroactively declare the directive into effect, meaning it probably won’t kick in earlier than tomorrow.

Governor Lee signed an executive order last night limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people for the next 30 days. Homes and churches are excluded.

Fans will not be allowed to attend basketball games at FedExForum for the time being, the arena announced yesterday.

The Save Our Restaurants: Memphis Protest happens today at 1 PM at the Shelby County government building, 160 N. Main, 1 PM. This one could get heated. There are very legit arguments on both sides. Restaurant owners are rightfully tired of being picked on, and at the same time if hospitals hit 100% capacity people will die needlessly.

I agree a Safer at Home is probably necessary, but I’d be more inclined to support it if the politicians pushing it the hardest walked the walk, in addition to talking the talk. What do I mean by that? Donate every penny of salary earned at any job to charity for the period the Safer at Home order is in effect. Show that you stand with our restaurant brethren by giving up your income.

The teams for December 31’s Liberty Bowl have been announced: Tennessee vs. good ole West Virginny. I think this is the perfect year to get a Vols appearance at the bowl out of the way, the year when their fans can’t travel to Memphis (or if they do, they won’t have much to do once they get here). As for West Virginny, it’s a shame we won’t see their fans here. I had a blast hanging out with them at Bardog before the 2014 game.

A federal advisory panel recommended who should be eligible to receive the second batch of COVID-19 vaccines when they are released later this month: Those at least 75 years old, firefighters, police, teachers, mail carriers, and grocery store workers. Health care workers and nursing home residents were allotted the first batch.

Please support local restaurants as much as you can in the next two weeks by ordering takeout (or dining in if that’s still allowed). I have some Bardog spaghetti & meatballs in the fridge right now. I noticed there was no South Main Pajama Pub Crawl that normally makes Bardog its first stop yesterday. Such a shame!

That’ll do it for this post. I will be back later today with health directive news, if there is any.

First things first before we get to pizza. There will be a Save Our Restaurants Protest tomorrow, Monday, December 21 at 1 PM at 160 N. Main. Below is the text of the announcement on Facebook:

The Shelby Co. Health Department Directive 16 is calling to shut down Memphis restaurants once again without any protection for payroll or protection for the businesses. Restaurants are the one of the largest lifelines of our city and so many people’s livelihoods. SCHD’s own data shows that spread of COVID19 from restaurants is less than 5% of all cases.
Restaurants who are following CDC guidelines set forth by the CDC shouldn’t suffer another closure, and may not make it through to see the new year if this closure is put in place.
Let’s show up, speak up, and demand competent, thoughtful, and caring action from our leadership. Bring signs to hold up for support. #SaveOurRestaurants. No megaphones permitted.
Time: 1PM (Sharp). Be there early if needed.
Location: 160 N Main, Memphis, TN 38103

Mid-afternoon yesterday, we decided we were hungry for pizza. As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, I suggested we drive out to Slim & Husky’s and give the new hip-hop themed pizzeria a try.

Would you believe there was a line out the door, and down the street? In the 43-degree rain? Must be some damn good pizza in there! We decided to wait for another day though.

Luckily, we had an excellent plan B… another new pizza kitchen, with beer! We turned around and headed to Little Bettie Pizza kitchen inside Wiseacre 2’s taproom in the South Main district, parking in the brewery’s back lot on Abel, the street just east of B.B. King that runs parallel.

Okay. Quick side story. Longtime readers of this blog will remember Sharp Dressed Bum. He was one of Downtown’s professional panhandlers during the 2000s decade. He separated himself from the other bums by wearing snazzy club shirts and driver caps. One day I watched SDB from the window at the Flying Saucer as he approached tourist after tourist, telling them he was homeless (which wasn’t true) and asking for a donation.

Then something odd happened. After receiving one such donation, SDB closed up shop and began walking south, now ignoring passersby. I put a coaster on top of my beer glass and told the server I’d be right back. From a safe distance, I followed SDB to see where he’d go. He turned left on Peabody Place, then turned back south on B.B. King, still named Third Street at that time. He passed Beale and MLK (then Linden), then turned left on Vance, followed by a quick right on Abel. where he went into da crack house, his real motivation for panhandling. Fast-forward 12 years later and a fabulous brewery stands where the crack house used to be. Progress!

Anyway, we got to the taproom and ordered that new beer that is like an Arnold Palmer iced tea shandy (I forget its name). With Parker and Dylan, the two founding fathers of Silly Goose wood-fired pizzas, among the professionals in Little Bettie’s kitchen, we had high expectations for the food.

… However, those expectations had to wait a bit. We were told the kitchen was closed 2 to 4 PM as they change over from lunch to dinner. Okay, in this respect Little Bettie made a call to my friend Air Traffic Mike’s 1-800-BAD-IDEA hotline. I understand that such a break makes sense at a fine dining establishment like Catherine & Mary’s or Bishop. It does not make any sense in a pizza kitchen in a brewery! Especially on the weekend. That break is costing them sales. Fortunately, it was 3:15 when we got the news, so we only had to wait 45 minutes – or as I looked at it, one additional beer.

We started off with onion rings, and Perjorie T. Roll was very excited about the dusting of herbs that topped the rings and the dip.

For the main event, I selected the Beefy Bettie pizza, which comes with red sauce, pepperoni, bacon, Tuscan sausage, four cheese, Calabrian chilis, and shaved garlic.

Good stuff. I love a good meatzza. The crust was not too different from what comes out of the pizza oven at the Silly Goose, and although New Haven-style pizza is touted as not having a puffy edge, this one did. Would definitely get this again.

Check out the full menu. On my next visit, I want to try a Whoa, It’s Todd with red sauce, mushroom conserva, roasted garlic, four cheese, and spicy salami.

A draft of proposed Health Directive No. 16 circulated on social media yesterday. It called for a return to most of the provisions of the Safer at Home order (incorrectly labeled “Phase 1” by The Daily Memphian) in which nonessential businesses would be closed Monday, December 21-Sunday, January 3. Restaurants would be limited to to-go and delivery only. The Health Department released a statement yesterday that the directive going around was a draft version, and the restrictions therein are not necessarily the ones that will be in the final release.

No doubt the draft copy was leaked to the media by one of the suburban mayors. I find that hilarious.

If you want a small piece of good news in all of this, the DM reports that ICU bed usage has dropped from 98% to 96% and acute care bed usage from 95% to 93%.

Here’s this week’s COVID week in review by data analyst James Aycock.

Tomorrow is National Hamburger Day, so make your plans for Roxie’s, Huey’s, Flying Saucer, Kooky Canuck, Dyer’s, or whatever place is your favorite Downtown burger joint… that is, if those places are allowed to be open tomorrow.

RIP Soul Burger

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow with more, or maybe later today if the Health Department hands down the directive.

Big news came yesterday about Memphis in May’s 2021 schedule.

• Music Fest will be postponed until May 2022. It is unlikely enough vaccinations for COVID-19 will have been administered by the April 30-May 2 weekend to make 50,000 people gathering in a park safe.
• BBQ Fest will happen May 12-May 15 “with strict COVID19 protocols in place. The World Championship will be somewhat different and smaller with capacity restrictions that may be in place at that time. Team applications are now open.”
• Great American River Run will be May 29

Sucks about Music Fest, but it was the proper call. Since I’m on the board of a BBQ team, I will avoid voicing any opinions here before consulting with the rest of the board. Believe me, though, the opinions I’m not yet voicing are strong ones.

From the DM: Memphis looks at pre-Christmas  lockdown; suburbs say no way. I hate, hate, hate the idea of a lockdown but could support it if it were time-limited. The massive Thanksgiving surge was no doubt predictive of a second surge over Christmas, and with local ICU beds at 98% capacity that’s a problem. I could support a lockdown and/or a curfew December 23-January 3 or thereabouts. Just don’t make it open-ended like the original Safer at Home house arrest was. It’s not fair to do an order of indefinite length without plans from the federal government to keep people’s income in place.

Cocozza has decided to temporarily end indoor and patio dining after this weekend. They’ll still have takeout, curbside, and delivery options, and their gran & go meals will still be in stores. Patrick & Deni felt that given the rising numbers, it was the right decision to protect the health of their staff and customers. Most of their staff will be furloughed after tomorrow. Go see them and TIP BIG this weekend. They couldn’t do Brunch with Santa this year, but there’s nothing stopping YOU from being Santa when you dine there.

Cocozza is not the only restaurant making that decision. The CA is keeping a running list of closures. Grecian Gourmet is on that list as well, and I know that River Time Market & Deli is closed until at least the end of the holidays.

How about some good news for a change? From the Flying Saucer:

Weekend Special

We’ve brought back the delicious Get Lucky Burger for the weekend. It’s a bleu cheese infused patty with garlic herb mayo, Irish whiskey glaze, Irish cream candied bacon, Guinness cheese sauce, and arugula. You don’t want to miss this one!

The Atlanta Hawks host the Memphis Grizzlies for their final NBA pre-season game tonight at 7 PM. NBATV will broadcast the game.

The FDA has given the green light to a second COVID-19 vaccine, this one from Moderna. I watched a press conference this week with Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, an infectious disease expert. He was asked, which vaccine should I get, the Pfizer one or the Moderna one? He said that they are both on the order of 95% effective, and therefore the one you should get is the one that’s available.

Sources I follow on Twitter seem to believe the Safer at Home order has already been drafted.

Trying to decide if I want to get out one last time before the order goes into effect, or just stay home and read. Back tomorrow with more news, if there is any news. Things get slow around the holidays.

Tomorrow you’ll be able to shop with Santa at AutoZone Park from 9 AM to 1 PM. Come shop for your Cardinals fans and pick out game-worn jerseys, autographed memorabilia, bobbleheads, T-shirts, throwback logo gear and more. Kids can get their picture taken with socially distanced snowglobe Santa.

Also tomorrow, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe on Beale Street will host a Christmas Pop-Up Market from 1 to 5 PM. They’ll have 20 local small businesses there, along with Christmas brunch and drinks.

River Time Market & Deli will be closed until after the holidays. With new guidance from the White House on COVID precautions (see below), Pam & Bill simply do not feel it is safe to keep such a little space open. An understandable decision. Much love & holiday cheer to them.

Elizabeth Horner, a contributor to I Love Memphis, paid a visit to Slim & Husky’s, the new hip-hop pizzeria in The Edge District, this week.

Char Magnifico and Vintage play The Vault tonight at 6.

If you’re a Daily Memphian subscriber, check out photos from the soft opening of Little Bettie pizza kitchen inside Wisacre 2. Little Bettie is open to the public beginning today.

Wiseacre’s Broad Avenue location will have its 2020 Astronaut Status release party today 1-10.

COVID task force press conference recap – Thursday, December 17

Presenters were Health Department Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter, Shelby County Health Officer Dr. Bruce Randolph, and City of Memphis Chief Operating Officer Doug McGowen.

Dr. H said that the reproductive rate is 1.06 (although, COVID Act Now shows it at 1.25). Today we have 6044 active known infections (although the total number of infections may be as much as 5 times higher). At the current reproduction rate, that would lead to 7138 new cases in 30 days. We must do whatever we can to get that exponential growth down.

Health Directive No. 16 was planned to mainly clarify language in the previous directive. However, because of the explosive growth in new case numbers, additional measures are being considered to slow things down. The measures would have the intention of curbing socializing during the Christmas holiday. There’s a COVID task force meeting today where health officials will present their recommendations to the mayors, with a new health directive coming as early as Monday morning.

Dr. Randolph shared a couple of recommendations from the White House COVID task force:

• If you’re over 65 or have comorbidities (heart conditions, high blood pressure, respiratory issues, diabetes), you should not enter any venue where any person is without a mask on. Have your groceries, prescriptions, and meals delivered.
• If you’re under 40, and you have been around anyone not in your immediate household who did not have a mask on, assume you were affected and get tested immediately.

Chief McGowen gave an analogy: Imagine AutoZone Park was packed to the rafters, and when the event let out, everyone went back into the community, infected with COVID-19. Would you take precautions? That’s where we are in terms of the virus. Testing is readily available every day (except Dec. 24-27) at Tiger Lane, and it’s open 3 PM-8 PM to make it convenient for those who work in the rat race and get off around 5. This weekend there will be testing at Tiger Lane and Poplar Healthcare on Hacks Cross 8:30-5:00 Saturday and Sunday. More testing locations

Hey, Chief, let me ask you one again… why is there no free testing in the 38103? I am not walking to Crump and Fourth, with a reputation for being one of the most dangerous ‘hoods in the entire U.S., at 5:30 (40 minutes after sunset) on a Wednesday or Friday to get a test.

Chief McGowen said the plan is for first responders – police, firefighters, and EMTs – to be vaccinated right after Christmas.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Blind Bear has announced a safe and socially distanced 9th birthday celebration the evening of next Wednesday, December 23. The patio will be heated and ready for business. On the other side of the trolley tracks, safely distanced from customers, Brimstone Jones will play. There will be $4 drafts, $5 Bear Balls, and Chef Steph Cook will brainstorm some yummy menu specials for the event.

Wikipedia has a page about New Haven-style pizza which is the style that will be baked at Little Bettie, the pizza kitchen inside Wiseacre 2.

Chef Michael Patrick of Rizzo’s posted the following:

Attention! Attention!!
So gift card sale happening Friday 12pm to 3 pm.
$25.00 gift card gets you $10 more dollars.
$50.00 gift card gets you $ 15.00 extra dollars.
$100.00 gift card gets you $25.00 more added on.
Anyone who buys a gift card, will also be entered into a drawing for a dinner for 2 on the house. More details to follow tomorrow.

The Memphis Flyer has a piece on Desiree Robinson, the 83-year-old matriarch of Cozy Corner who is a new member of the BBQ Hall of Fame.

DeAndre Williams, a Memphis Tigers 6’9″ forward who transferred from Evansville, was ruled immediately eligible to play yesterday and played last night vs. Tulane. He contributed 10 points in the Tigers’ 80-74 victory.

Holly lists 4 ways you can enjoy Christmas at Bass Pro at the Pyramid on the I Love Memphis blog.

Today is Wright Brothers Day. On this day in 1903, the brothers flew the first successful airplane. 80 years later, they inspired the unforgettable words of Morris Day, “The Wright Brothers can’t fuck with that. Jerome! Bring me my hat,” on The Time’s single “The Bird.”

The proposed ordinance for a $50 fine for those not wearing their masks in public businesses and gatherings has been amended by the County Commission. The revisions indicate that only the owner of the business or organizer of the gathering would be fined, not the individual. However, the owner/organizer could be fined $50 per violation. So if 10 people in a restaurant were found without masks on, the owner could face a fine of $500.

Here’s a link to data analyst James Aycock’s COVID mid-week in review.

The health department is asking everyone to fill out a 5-minute survey about attitudes toward vaccines, masking, and the virus. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

That’ll do it for today. The COVID-19 task force is at noon and I will try to give it a listen. Back this afternoon or tomorrow with a recap and more news.

Let’s get the daily news out of the way, and then we’ll get on to the summary of yesterday’s COVID-19 task force press conference, which turned in an unexpected direction.

From The Daily Memphian: A pizza shack in Wiseacre has familiar folks behind it. Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman will operate Little Bettie. The kitchen opens today and will serve New Haven-style pizza (no puffy edge), chicken wings, onion rings, Sicilian pizza, pretzel bites, and a few salads.

The article alludes to a couple of other specials happening at Andrew Michael restaurants Downtown:

• Burgers and burgundy at Bishop on Mondays
• Takeout pizza kits and $1 oysters at the Gray Canary on Thursdays

Hot wing food truck New Wing Order now has its own YouTube channel.

The Memphis Flyer has a Q&A session with the owner of new pizza joint Slim and Husky’s out in The Edge District. They have build-your-own pizzas and gourmet cinnamon rolls.

Pontotoc Lounge closed for the time being on Sunday, leaving popular Sunday brunch bartender B-RAD without a gig. Good news: He will join his longtime partner-in-crime Joe behind the bar at Atomic Rose on Sundays. Go see them for brunch and stick around for Pattie O’ Furniture’s drag bingo.

The Memphis Tigers have a new craft beer partner. Tiger Tail, a new craft beer from Grind City Brewing, will be the official craft beer of Tigers athletics. A portion of the sales of Tiger Tail will go to the athletic department, an important additional revenue stream during COVID. Also, a scholarship will be created.

UT president and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd has joined the Memphis Redbirds ownership group.

COVID-19 task force press conference

We had been told to expect a new health directive this week, probably with even tighter restrictions on the department’s favorite whipping post, restaurants. Instead, the health department punted the ball over to the mayors.

Dr. Haushalter reminded everyone that they look at four main areas of concern when deciding if restrictions need to be imposed. The first is the data concerning the virus itself.

• 7-day rolling new case average of 670
• 14-day rolling new case average of 558
• Reproductive rate is 1.08
• 5434 active cases in the county, each with the potential to infect 1.06 people
• Positivity rate 12.1%
• We are now seeing a surge related to the Thanksgiving holiday
• The surge is a predictor of what we can expect to see over the Christmas holiday

The second area of concern is testing. We have a ton of free testing right now (NONE of which, I’ll point out, is convenient to people in the Downtown core) and anyone who wants a test is encouraged to get one. Testing sites

The third area is hospital capacity. Dr. H says we need to ensure that people who need treatment, including non-COVID treatment, are able to receive it. They are looking at ways for students in the pharmacy, medical, and nursing fields to be trained to assist and to receive credit for duties performed.

The fourth area is public health capacity. The health department is working with the labs to make sure positive tests are reported quickly, allowing them to get people affected into isolation and quarantine early.

Dr. Bruce Randolph, County Health Officer, took the podium. He pointed out that Health Directive No. 15 included tripwires – numbers that, when hit, indicate certain actions can be taken. We have hit the tripwire of 650 new cases/day. However, he said, “Fellow citizens, it’s up to you as an individual. Up to you to make sure to avoid crowds. That you mask when in a restaurant.” (A sign that restaurants would still be open.) The health department’s position is that they feel they have done all they can short of a drastic measure like a return to Safer at Home.

Dr. H came back up. She said they are drafting new Health Directive No. 16 with a focus on clarifying language in Directive 15, as well as clarifying certain types of events. However, she said, the urgency to release the directive is not as great as people thought. It may not be issued this week.

Dr. Randolph: Safer at Home was issued by the mayors. He said the health department views public health as the intersection of health and policy – specifically, politics. The health department does not make policy. They would recommend Safer at Home to the mayors if the average number of new cases a day hits 750, but public officials will have to endorse it.

I love the decision. It punts the ball over to Mayors Strickland and Harris, both of who hate to appear to be the bad guy. (Have you noticed they only show up to the task force press conferences when there’s a piece of good news to report?) It stops short of closing restaurants to indoor dining, when they aren’t even the major cause of spread (going to work sick is).

Dr. H said there was enforcement of the current health directive this past weekend, and 6 more businesses were closed. WREG has the list.

WREG also reports that Shelby County Commissioners have called a special meeting for today to vote on whether to institute a $50 fine on people not wearing a mask. I fully support this. View the proposed ordinance

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.